UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  PURLICATIONS. 


COLLEGE  OF  AGRICULTURE. 

AGRICULTURAL  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


TUBERCULOSIS  W  FOWLS 


By  ARCHIBALD  R.  WARD. 


BULLETIN    No.    161, 

'Berkeley,  Cal.,  June,  1904.) 


SACRAMENTO: 
w.  w.  shannon,      :     :     :     :     superintendent  state  printing. 

1904. 


BENJAMIN  IDE  WHEELER,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  President  of  the  University. 

EXPERIMENT  STATION  STAFF. 

E.  W.  HILGARD,  Ph.D.,  LL.D.,  Director  and  Chemist. 

E.  J.  WICKSON,  M.A.,  Horticulturist. 

W.  A.  SETCHELL,  Ph.D.,  Botanist. 

ELWOOD  MEAD,  M.S.,  C.E.,  Irrigation  Engineer. 

C.  W.  WOODWORTH,  M.S.,  Entomologist. 

R.  H.  LOUGHRIDGE,  Ph.D.,  Agricultural  Geologist  and  Soil  Physicist.    (Soils  and  Alkali.) 

M.  E.  JAFFA,  M.S.,  Assistant  Chemist.    (Foods,  Nutrition.) 

G.  W.  SHAW,  M.A.,  Ph.D.,  Assistant  Chemist.    (Starches,  Oils,  Beet-Sugar.) 

GEORGE  E.  COLBY,  M.S.,  Assistant  Chemist.    (Fruits,  Waters,  Insecticides.) 

RALPH  E.  SMITH,  B.S.,  Plant  Pathologist. 

A.  R.  WARD,  B.S.A.,  D.V.M.,  Veterinarian,  Bacteriologist. 

E.  H.  TWIGHT,  B.Sc,  Diplorne  E.A.M.,  Viticulturist. 

E.  W.  MAJOR,  B.Agr.,  Animal  Industry. 

A.  V.  STUBENRAUCH,  M.S.,  Assistant  Horticulturist,  in  charge  of  Substations. 

WARREN  T.  CLARKE,  B.S.,  Assistant  Field  Entomologist. 

H.  M.  HALL,  M.S.,  Assistant  Botanist. 

H.  J.  QUAYLE,  A.B.,  Assistant  Entomologist. 

GEORGE  ROBERTS,  M.S.,  Assistant  Chemist,  in  charge  Fertilizer  ContrOi. 

C.  M.  HARING,  D.V.M.,  Assistant  Veterinarian  and  Bacteriologist. 

C.  A.  TRIEBEL,  Ph.G.,  Assistant  in  Agricultural  Laboratory. 

C.  A.  COLMORE,  B.S.,  Clerk  to  the  Director. 


EMIL  KELLNER,  Foreman  of  Central  Station  Grounas. 

JOHN  TUOHY,  Patron,  ) 

•   Tulare  Substation,  Tulare. 
JULIUS  FORRER,  Foreman,  J 

J.  E.  McCOMAS,  Patron,  Pomona,  , 

J.  W.  MILLS,  Superintendent,  Ontario,  >  Southern  California  Substation. 

JOHN  H.  BARBER,  Assistant  Superintendent,  Ontario,   ) 

A,  A.  KNOWLTON,  Patron,  ) 

t    tt    ^^T  t-a'    „r    ,  •  f   University  Forestry  Station,  Chico. 

J.  H.  OOLEY,  Workman  in  charge,  ) 

ROY  JONES,  Patron,        ) 

University  Forestry  Station,  Santa  Monica. 


WM.  SIIUTT,  Foreman 

H.  O.  WOODWORTH,  M.S.,  Foreman  of  Poultry  Station,  Petaluma. 

The  Station  publications  (Reports  and  Bulletins),  so  long  as  avail- 
able, will  be  sent  to  any  citizen  of  the  State  on  application. 


TUBERCULOSIS  IN  FOWLS. 

By  ARCHIBALD  R.   WARD. 


Tuberculosis  in  fowls  is  a  serious  pest  in  Europe,  but  seems  to  be 
rare  in  America,  or  at  least  has  not  been  frequently  reported.  Pernot* 
is  apparently  the  first  to  mention  its  existence  upon  the  Pacific  Coast. 
He  reports  six  outbreaks  in  Oregon  and  gives  a  description  of  the 
symptoms  and  post-mortem  appearances. 

Moore  and  the  present  writer  studied  tuberculosis  of  fowls  in  Cali- 
fornia during  the  summer  of  1903.  Papersf  dealing  with  the  patho- 
logical aspects  of  the  disease  have  been  published,  and  in  consequence 
considerable  material,  of  interest  only  to  the  professional  man,  has  been 
omitted  from  the  present  publication.  Observations  during  the  past 
year  have  demonstrated  that  the  disease  is  distributed  broadly  enough 
to  demand  the  serious  attention  of  poultrymen. 

The  disease  exists  extensively  among  many  large  poultry  ranches, 
but  seldom  kills  enough  fowls  at  any  one  time  to  excite  the  alarm  of  the 
owner.  Its  existence  in  a  flock  constitutes  a  steady  drain,  but  it  fails 
to  attract  much  attention,  because  the  losses  are  so  evenly  distributed 
in  point  of  time. 

So  far  the  writer  has  observed  tuberculosis  in  grown  fowls  only.  It 
does  not  appear  to  occur  in  young  chicks. 

In  the  first  outbreak  of  the  disease  brought  to  notice,  the  owner 
reported  a  loss  of  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  fowls  during  a  year, 
out  of  a  flock  of  fourteen  hundred.  He  had  made  a  large  number  of 
post-mortem  examinations,  and  as  the  alterations  occurring  in  the 
disease  are  readily  recognized,  the  observations  have  some  interest. 

Symptoms. — There  seems  to  be  no  noticeable  symptom  until  the 
disease  has  progressed  far  enough  to  cause  emaciation  and  weakness. 


*Pernot,  E.  F. :  Investigations  of  Diseases  of  Poultry.  Oregon  Agricultural 
Experiment  Station,  Bulletin  No.  64,  1900. 

f  Moore,  V.  A.,  and  Ward,  A.  R. ;  Avian  Tuberculosis.  Transactions  of  the 
American  Veterinary  Medical  Association,  1903,  p.   169. 

fWard,  A.  R.  ;  Tuberculosis  in  Fowls.  California  State  Journal  of  Medicine, 
December,  1903. 

f  Moore,  V.  A. :  The  Morbid  Anatomy  and  Etiology  of  Avian  Tuberculosis.  The 
Journal  of  Medical  Research,  Vol.  XI,  No.  2  (new  series,  Vol.  VI,  No.  2). 
pp.  521-536,  May,  1904. 


4  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

In  such  cases  the  breast  muscles  are  found  to  be  wasted  away  and  the 
light  weight  is  very  noticeable. 

Fig.  1  shows  the  breast  bone  of  a  tuberculous  hen  from  which  the 
skin  only  has  been  removed.  It  illustrates  the  extent  to  which  the 
wasting  may  progress,  for  barely  a  trace  of  the  breast  muscles  remains. 
Lameness  often  occurs,  and  poultrymen  usually  refer  to  such  fowls 
as  affected  with  "rheumatism."  This  conclusion  is  not  justified,  for 
in  a  number  of  such  cases  the  writer  has  been  able  to  find  tuberculosis 
of  the  joints,  which  would  account  for  the  lameness.  In  the  last  stages 
of  sickness,  the  affected  bird  crouches,  apparently  from  weakness.  The 
pale  comb,  ruffled  feathers,  unnatural  gait,  and  general  attitude  are 
features  that  attract  attention  to  the  victims  of  the  disease.  A  very 
small  percentage  of  affected  fowls  show  tuberculous  nodules  on  the 


Fu;.  1.    Breastbone  of  a  fowl,  showing  excessive  emaciation  in  tuberculosis. 

skin  of  various  portions  of  the  body.  These  may  consist  of  single 
spherical  masses  each  surrounding  the  root  of  a  feather,  or  more  often 
consist  of  larger  masses.  Fig.  2  illustrates  this  form  of  the  disease 
occurring  upon  the  neck  of  a  fowl.  These  nodules,  when  occurring 
upon  the  head,  should  not  be  confused  with  the  swellings  that  appear 
on  the  head  in  advanced  cases  of  roup  (swell  head),  nor  with  the  wart- 
like lumps  found  on  the  head  in  chicken-pox. 

Facts  concerning  the  length  of  time  that  fowls  usually  live  when 
infected  have  not  yet  been  secured.  One  hen,  inoculated  by  injecting 
crushed  tuberculous  liver  into  the  abdominal  cavity,  died  in  six  weeks 
of  generalized  tuberculosis. 

Lesions. — In  most  cases  the  liver  is  affected.  It  is  found  enlarged 
and  studded  throughout  with  yellowish- white  nodules  of  a  more  or  less 
cheesy  consistency,  varying  greatly  in  size  and  number  in  different 
cases.     The  nodules  are  very  readily  separated  from  the  surrounding 


TUBERCULOSIS  IN  FOWLS. 


liver  tissue.  Poultry  men 
are  familiar  with  the  con- 
dition, and  refer  to  it  as 
"liver  complaint"  or  as 
"spotted  liver."  Fig.  3 
illustrates  the  condition  de- 
scribed. The  spleen,  in 
health  a  small  rounded 
purple  organ  about  half  an 
inch  in  diameter,  is  fre- 
quently affected  with  tuber- 
culosis, and  in  consequence 
greatly  enlarged.  Rounded 
masses  of  varying  size  may 
be  found  in  the  walls  of  any 
part  of  the  intestine.  The 
mesentery,  the  thin  mem- 
brane to  the  border  of  which 
the  intestine  is  attached,  is 
occasionally  dotted  with 
nodular  masses.  Fig.  4 
illustrates  the  tubercular 
growths  upon  the  mesen- 
tery. The  lungs  are  very 
rarely  affected.    Alterations 


Fig.  3.    Liver  of  a  fowl  affected  with  tubercuh 


Fig.  2.    Tuberculosis  of  the  skin  of  the  neck  of  a  fowl. 


of  the  bones,  joints,  or  other 
organs  occur  more  rarely,  and  are 
not  so  readily  recognized  as  the 
changes  described.  Most  hens 
badly  affected  with  tuberculosis 
are  very  lean,  but  exceptions  have 
been  observed. 

Spread  of  Tuberculosis  among 
Fowls. — Tuberculosis  is  an  in- 
fectious disease  caused  by  organ- 
isms, known  as  tubercle  bacteria, 
which  gain  entrance  to  certain 
organs  of  the  body  and  multiply 
there.  The  nodular  growths 
(tubercles)  so  constantly  found 
in  tuberculosis  are  caused  by  the 
presence  of  these  bacteria  in  the 
affected   regions.     The  spread  of 


b  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

tuberculosis  from  one  fowl  to  another  occurs  only  when  conditions 
permit  the  transfer  of  the  live  tubercle  bacteria  more  or  less  directly 
from  the  diseased  to  the  healthy.  The  presence  of  tubercular  growths 
in  the  walls  of  the  intestine  and  in  the  liver  suggests  that  the  tubercle 
bacteria  enter  the  body  with  the  food.     The  rarity  with  which  tuber- 


Fk..  l.    Intestines  and  mesentery  of  a  fowl  affected  with  tuberculosis. 

culosis  occurs  in  the  lungs  of  fowls  would  indicate  that  infection  by 
the  inhalation  of  tubercle  bacteria  occurs  rarely,  if  at  all. 

An  examination  of  the  tubercular  growths  located  along  the  walls  of 
the  intestine  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  the  tubercle  bacteria  are 
liberated  from  the  body  along  with  the  droppings.  In  a  large  per- 
centage of  bad  cases  of  tuberculosis,  tubercles  will  be  found  to  have  a 
cavity  in  the  center  which  communicates  with  the  interior  of  the  intes- 
tine.    A   microscopic  examination  of  the  contents  of  the  intestine  at 


TUBERCULOSIS  IN  FOWLS.  I 

such  points  shows  that  enormous  numbers  of  tubercle  bacteria  are 
present.  The  conclusion  that  they  are  liberated  through  the  intestine 
is  unavoidable.  The  droppings  of  fowls  affected  with  tuberculosis 
must  therefore  be  regarded  as  an  important  factor  in  the  spread  of 
the  disease. 

No  evidence  is  at  hand  to  indicate  that  tuberculosis  is  spread  through 
the  egg.  Post-mortem  examinations  and  observations  upon  living 
fowls  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  badly  infected  fowls,  at  least,  do  not 
lay.  Considerable  attention  has  been  paid  to  the  ailments  causing  the 
death  of  young  chicks,  but  no  tuberculosis  has  been  discovered  among 
them.  The  disease  would  be  found  in  young  stock  if  it  were  commonly 
transmitted  to  the  young  through  the  egg. 

The  location  in  which  the  droppings  are  deposited  bears  considerable 
relation  to  the  probability  of  that  material  being  a  means  of  infecting 
healthy  fowls.  The  practice  of  feeding  soft  food  from  the  ground 
affords  the  best  of  opportunity  for  the  contamination  of  the  food 
with  fresh  droppings.  Sunlight  is  rapidly  fatal  to  tubercle  bacteria, 
but  it  by  no  means  has  opportunity  to  freely  act  upon  infectious  mate- 
lial  out  of  doors.  Indoors,  the  tubercle  bacteria  may  remain  alive  and 
dangerous  for  many  weeks.  The  eating  habits  of  fowls  indicate  that 
they  are  in  danger  of  infection  by  way  of  the  Crop  in  the  roosting- 
houses,  although  no  food  may  be  there.  Furthermore,  there  always 
exists  the  possibility  of  conveying  infectious  material  by  the  feet,  to 
the  food  outside. 

The  Control  of  Tuberculosis  in  Fowls.— There  is  no  known 
remedy  for  the  cure  of  tuberculosis  in  the  fowl.  Affected  birds 
should  be  killed  as  soon  as  the  existence  of  the  disease  is  recog- 
nized. It  is  useless  to  attempt  treatment.  It  must  be  controlled 
by  measures  designed  to  keep  the  healthy  fowls  separated  from  the 
diseased  ones.  "When  the  disease  exists  in  a  flock  of  fowls  there  are 
usually  many  in  the  early  stages  that  do  not  betray  their  condition  by 
appearance  or  behavior.  This  insidious  mode  of  development  is  an 
important  characteristic  of  tuberculosis  and  one  that  frequently  blinds 
people  to  its  seriousness. 

Tests.— There  is  at  present  no  means  of  detecting  the  existence  of 
tuberculosis  in  a  fowl  until  the  affection  has  progressed  sufficiently  to 
produce  lameness  or  emaciation.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that  fowls 
may  be  diseased  badly  enough  to  make  them  a  source  of  danger  to  other 
fowls,  without  suggesting  by  their  appearance  that  they  are  affected. 
The  tuberculin  test  so  generally  used  for  the  detection  of  the  disease  in 
cattle  does  not  give  positive  results  when  applied  to  tuberculous  fowls. 

Tuberculin  is  a  liquid  prepared  from  beef  broth  in  which  the  tubercle 


8 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


bacteria  have  been  cultivated  for  several  weeks.  When  injected  under 
the  skin  of  cattle  affected  with  tuberculosis,  it  produces  a  rise  of 
temperature  usually  about  two  degrees  above  normal.  The  test,  in 
competent  and  honest  hands,  affords  a  ready  means  for  detecting  the 
disease  when  other  means  would  fail. 

Trials  upon  twenty-one  fowls  affected  with  the  disease  have  not 
indicated  that  the  test  may  be  successfully  applied  to  them. 

The  tests  recorded  in  the  first  three  tables  were  made  with  ordinary 
tuberculin,  that  made  from  a  culture  of  the  tubercle  bacterium  isolated 
from  the  disease  in  man.  In  view  of  the  unsatisfactory  results  ob- 
tained, it  was  determined  to  repeat  the  work  using  some  tuberculin 
prepared  from  a  culture  of  the  tubercle  bacterium  isolated  from  a 
diseased  fowl.  Dr.  V.  A.  Moore,  of  Cornell  University,  kindly  pre- 
pared some  of  this  avian  tuberculin  for  the  tests  recorded  in  Table  IV. 


TABLE  I. 

Tuberculin  Tests  upon  Fowls.     Ordinary  Tuberculin. 

No.  64.  No.  65.  No.  66.  No.  68. 

Aug.  12,    9:00  p.m.- 40.9°            41.8#  41.1°  40.6° 

13,    9:30  a.m. 41.6             41.6  41.2  41.3 

9:30  a.  m.     Injected  1  c.c. 

1:30  p.  M 42.0              41.7  41.6  41.4 

3:00  p.  m 41.9              41.9  42.2  41.7 

4:00  p.  m 41.4             42.2  42.4  41.3 

5:00  p.  M 42.0             41.8  42.2  42.0 

6:00p.  m 42.1             42.1  42.2  41.8 

Aug.  14,  10:00  A.  m 41.8             41.7  41.0  42.0 

+  *               +  +  + 


O.  70. 

No.  77. 

40.2° 

40.7* 

40.9 

41.4 

41.9 

40.0 

41.1 

40.6 

41.8 

40.3 

41.7 

40.3 

41.6 

40.1 

41.6 

41.0 

+ 

+ 

TABLE  II. 

Tuberculin  Tests  upon  Fowls.     Ordinary  Tuberculin. 

No.  36.  No.  52. 

Aug.    9,  11:00  a.  m . 42.0°  41.4° 

12:00  m 42.1  41.9 

1:00p.  m 41.9  41.7 

3:00p.  m - 42.2  41.7 

Aug.  10,    8:00  a.m.  41.8  41.6 

8:00  A.  m.     Injected  .5  c.c. 

1:00  p.  m 42.4  42.0 

2:30p.  m 43.1  41.8 

3:00p.  m.._. --  — 42.7  41.8 

-*  + 


*The  presence  or  absence  of  lesions  of  tuberculosis  as  noted  at  post-mortem  examinations  is 
indicated  by  +  or  — . 


TUBERCULOSIS  IN  FOWLS. 


TABLE  III. 


Tuberculin  Tests  upon  Fowls.     Ordinary  Tuberculin. 

No.  37. 

Aug.    8,  10:00  a.  m 41.8° 

10:00  a.  m.     Injected  .5  c.c. 

11:00  a.  m 42.2 

1:00  p.  m 42.1 

2:00p.  m 42.3 

3:00  p.  m 42.2 

4:00  p.  m 42.6 

5:00p.  m 42.6 

6:00  p.  m 42.2 

8:00p.  m 41.8 

10:00  p.  m 42.1 

Aug.    9,  11:00  a.  m 42.1 

_* 


No.  47. 

No.  49. 

42.4° 

42.9° 

42.4 

41.9 

42.7 

42.1 

42.6 

42.2 

42.7 

42.8 

42.7 

43.3 

42.2 

43.6 

42.1 

42.7 

41.7 

41.8 

42.3 

42.7 

41.9 

41.9 

+ 

+ 

TABLE  IV. 

Tuberculin  Tests  upon  Fowls.     Ordinary  Tuberculin. 

No.  59.  No.  61. 

Aug.    7,10:00  p.m. 41.1°  41.4° 

8,    9:00  a.m.     Injected .6  c.c.         .6  c.c. 

9:00  a.  m 42.3  41.7 

11:00  a.  m 42.7  42.0 

1:00  p.  m 42.0  41.8 

3:00  p.  m 41.7  42.1 

5:00  p.  m •_,  41.7  41.7 

Aug.    9,  11:00  a.  m 41.6  42.2 

12:00  m 41.7  41.9 

1:00  p.  m 41.6  41.9 

3:00  p.  m 41.8  41.9 

Aug.  10,    8:00  a.  m.    Injected  1  c.c 42.0  42.2 

1:00  p.  m 42.0  42.3 

2:00  p.  m 42.4 

3:00  p.  m 42.2  42.3 

4:00  p.  m 42.3  42.4 

-*  + 


No.  62. 

No.  63. 

39.9° 

40.6° 

.4  c.c. 

.2  c.c. 

41.6 

41.0 

41.3 

40.9 

41.3 

41.2 

41.6 

41.0 

41.4 

40.9 

41.1 

40.9 

41,4 



41.4 



41.9 

_   .  . 

41.7 



41.9 

---- 

41.9 

42.0 



+ 

- 

TABLE  V. 

Tuberculin  Tests  upon  Fowls.     Ordinary  Ttiberculin. 


No.  1. 

3:00p.  m 42.0° 

5:00p.  m 41.3 

7:00p.  m 41.3 

9:00p.  m 41.4 

10:00p.  m 41.7 

10:00  p.  m.     Injected  .5  c.c. 

7:00  a.  m 41.9 

9:00  a.  m 42.0 

11:00  a.  m r 41.8 

1:00p.  m 1 41.6 

3:00p.  m ._ ....  41.9 


No.  2. 

42.7° 

42.4 

41.9 

42.1 

42.3 

42.4 
42.4 
42.2 
42.3 
41.7 


No.  3. 

42.3° 

41.3 

41.3 

41.4 

41.6 

42.4 
41.1 
41.2 
41.2 
41.6 
+ 


No.  4. 

42.3° 

41.9 

41.6 

41.9 

41.8 

42.4 
42.0 
41.8 
41.9 
41.9 

(?) 


No.  75. 
42.3° 
41.9 
41.6 
41.8 
41.4 

42.4 
42.4 
42.3 
42.4 
42.3 


*The  presence  or  absence  of  lesions  of  tuberculosis  as  noted  at  post-mortem  examinations  is 
indicated  by  +  or  — . 


10  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

TABLE  VI. 

Tuberculin  Tests  upon  Fowls. 

0.5  c.c.  of  avian  tuberculin  injected  at  7  a.  m.  March  18,  in  each  case. 

1.         2.         3.         4.         5.         6.         7.         8.         9.  10.  11.  12.        13. 

Mar.  17,  10:30  a.m 42.0°    42.6°    42.4°    42.2°     42.8°    41.9°    43.1°    42.3°    42.0°  41.4°  42.6°  41.8°  41.3* 

12:30  P.M 41.6      42.4      42.2      42.1      42.7      41.6      42.3      42.0      42.1  41.8  42.7  42.0  41.6 

2:30  P.M 42.0      42.2      42.2      41.8      42.3      41.4      42.8      42.1      ...  41.6  42.2  41.8  41.8 

4:30  P.M 41.7      42.1      42.1      41.7      42.4      42.2      42.6      41.9      42.3  41.7  42.1  41.8  41.9 

Mar.  18,  10:00  a.m 42.1      42.3      42.2      41.9      42.4     42.0     42.6     41.9     42.1  41.4  42.3  41.7  41.3 

11:00  A.M 41.8     42.2     42.7      41.7      42.0      42.1      42.4     42.1      41.1  41.1  42.1  42.2  41.3 

12:00M 41.6      42.0      42.6     42.2      42.0     41.7      42.3     42.2      42.2  40.9  41.7  43.7  41.4 

1:00  P.M 42.6      42.0      42.2      42.2      42.1      41.8      42.4      42.2      42.3  40.6  42.0  42.2  41.4 

2:00  P.M 41.9     42.1      42.4      41.7      42.0      41.7      42.4      42.0     42.0  40.3  42.2  41.9  41.4 

3:00  A.M 42.0      42.3      42.2      41.7      42.1      41.6      42.7      42.1      42.2  41.9  42.1  41.8  41.4 

4:00  P.M 41.4      42.1      42.3      41.3      42.1      41.0      42.6      41.9      41.9  39.4  41.9  41.6  41.6 

5:00  P.M 41.9     42.2      42.4     41.6      42.1      41.3      42.6      41.9      41.6  39.6  41.9  42.1  40.7 

7:00  P.M 41.3      41.9      42.4      41.4      41.9      41.1      42.3      41.7      41.7  39.4  41.1  40.6  40.3 

+  *-  +  +  +  ----  +  +  +  + 


*The  presence  or  absence  of  lesions  of  tuberculosis  as  noted  at  post-mortem  examinations  is 
indicated  by  +   or   —  . 

The  figures  do  not  reveal  a  marked  rise  in  temperature  in  tuber- 
culous fowls  after  the  injection  of  tuberculin.  In  many  cases  a  slight 
rise  is  noted,  but  this  may  be  attributed  to  the  fact  that  the  tempera- 
ture of  a  fowl  is  higher  during  the  middle  of  the  day  than  at  other 
times. 

Even  should  the  tuberculiD  test  prove  applicable  to  fowls,  its  use- 
fulness would  be  limited,  on  account  of  the  impossibility  of  applying 
it  to  a  large  number  of  them,  as  would  be  necessary  on  a  large  poultry 
ranch.  Nevertheless,  the  test  would  be  very  useful  in  experiments  to 
determine  the  possibility  of  the  transmission  of  tuberculosis  of  man 
or  cattle  to  fowls. 

Control  of  the  Disease. — There  is  no  apparent  way  of  recognizing  all 
the  tuberculous  fowls  in  a  flock  so  that  they  may  be  removed.  There- 
fore, all  the  individuals  in  an  infected  flock  must  be  regarded  as 
dangerous  to  those  free  from  the  disease,  and  must  be  kept  separated 
from  them.  To  counterbalance  this  difficulty  the  problem  of  controlling 
tuberculosis  in  fowls  has  some  encouraging  features.  The  useful  life 
of  the  hen  is  generally  regarded  as  ended  at  three  years  of  age.  This 
fact  obviates  the  necessity  for  the  quarantine  of  infected  individuals 
for  many  years,  as  is  done  with  cattle. 

The  further  spread  of  the  disease  through  a  flock  where  it  already 
exists  may  be  impeded  by  sanitary  measures.  Fowls  suspected  as 
having  tuberculosis  should  be  slaughtered  promptly.  The  roosting- 
houses  should  be  cleaned  and  disinfected  as  often  as  practicable.  It 
should  be  remembered  that  cases  which  can  not  be  detected  are  con- 
stantly spreading  the  germs  of  the  disease  about  the  houses,  and  in 


TUBERCULOSIS  IN  FOWLS.  11 

consequence  the  effect  of  one  spraying  with  a  disinfectant  is  of  short 
duration. 

There  are  upon  the  market  in  California  several  disinfectants  that 
are  suitable  for  the  purpose.  Among  these  are  * '  Zenoleum, ' '  "  Lincoln 
Dip,"  and  *  *  Chloro-Naptholeum. "  Tests  made  by  Lewis  and  Nichol- 
son* show  that  these  disinfectants  are  effectual  when  used  in  a  two  per 
cent  solution  (one  gallon  of  disinfectant  to  forty-nine  gallons  of 
water) . 

There  is  good  reason  to  believe  that  young  stock  may  be  kept  free 
from  tuberculosis  by  completely  isolating  them  from  hens  among 
which  the  disease  exists,  or  from  land  recently  occupied  by  such  fowls. 
The  conditions  under  which  the  poultry  business  is  carried  on  in  Cali- 
fornia do  not  seem  to  offer  serious  objection  to  such  practice.  In  the 
establishments  where  the  fowls  are  kept  in  corrals  this  condition  may 
be  easily  maintained.  Upon  the  larger  ranches  where  the  fowls  are 
not  restrained,  and  roam  at  will  in  the  vicinity  of  their  respective 
colonies,  the  quarantine  may  not  be  so  strictly  enforced.  Much  danger 
may  be  avoided  by  locating  the  colonies  of  pullets  as  far  as  possible 
from  the  old  stock,  or  from  land  recently  contaminated  by  them.  The 
complete  isolation  of  the  young  from  contact  with  the  diseased  is  a 
precaution  unquestionably  successful  in  preventing  the  spread  of 
tuberculosis  in  man  and  cattle ;  and  there  seems  to  be  no  reason  why  the 
principle  should  fail  in  the  case  of  poultry.  The  experiment  is  being 
tried  upon  a  number  of  ranches  with  pullets  hatched  during  the 
present  season. 

Transfer  of  laying  hens  appears  to  be  an  important  cause  of  the 
spread  of  the  disease  to  ranches  where  it  has  not  hitherto  existed.  On 
sanitary  grounds  the  purchase  of  grown  stock  is  condemned  as  danger- 
ous ;  for  there  is  a  strong  probability  that  the  purchaser  will  receive 
fowls  from  a  flock  that  has  had  a  bad  record  of  deaths  from  tuberculosis 
or  other  causes.  Enough  examples  of  such  cases  have  been  observed 
to  warrant  wording  an  emphatic  warning.  Those  embarking  in  the 
poultry  business  should  aim  to  raise  their  own  hens. 

Relation  to  Tuberculosis  in  Man  and  Cattle.— The  subject  of  the 
relationship  between  tuberculosis  in  man  or  cattle  and  the  disease 
in  fowls  is  full  of  interest.  Tuberculosis  in  cattle  is  prevalent  in  the 
same  district  in  which  the  disease  occurs  in  fowls,  and  examples  of 
tuberculosis  in  both  cattle  and  fowls  on  the  same  ranch  have  been 
observed.    Attempts  by  Gilbert  and  Rogerf  to  transmit  the  disease  from 


*Lewis  and  Nicholson  :  Disinfecting  Power  of  Coal-Tar  Dips.  Oklahoma  Agri- 
cultural Experiment  Station,  Bulletin  No.  62,  1904. 

t  Gilbert  and  Roger,  in  collaboration  with  Cadiot:  Contribution  a  l'etude  dela  tuber- 
culosa avaire.    Etudes  de  Pathologie  et  de  Clinique. 


12  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

man  or  cattle  to  fowls  have  usually  failed.  Successful  transmission  of 
the  disease  to  fowls  from  man  or  cattle  has  rarely  been  accomplished. 
Cattle  are  found  upon  but  a  very  small  percentage  of  the  poultry 
ranches,  and  in  consequence  the  question  of  the  possible  transmission 
of  the  disease  from  cattle  to  fowls  is  relatively  unimportant. 

Tuberculosis  in  man  is  not  noticeably  prevalent  in  the  community 
where  most  cases  of  the  disease  in  fowls  have  been  found,  for  it  is  not 
frequented  by  consumptives  in  search  of  favorable  climatic  conditions. 
The  possibility  of  the  transmission  of  tuberculosis  from  poultry  to 
man  is  a  matter  concerning  which  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  collect 
evidence.  The  fact  that  chickens,  when  eaten,  are  always  well  cooked 
indicates  that  there  is  practically  no  danger  from  that  source.  It  has 
not  been  proven  that  tuberculosis  is  transmitted  through  the  egg,  and 
furthermore,  most  eggs  are  well  cooked  when  served.  It  does  not 
appear,  therefore,  that  tuberculosis  in  fowls  is  a  matter  that  very 
intimately  concerns  public  health. 

SUMMARY  OF  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE  CONTROL  OF  TUBERCULOSIS  IN  FOWLS. 

Kill  all  fowls  showing  symptoms  of  the  disease. 

Separate  the  flock  of  affected  fowls  as  thoroughly  as  possible  from 
the  healthy  ones. 

Spray  the  roosting-houses  with  a  disinfectant  as  frequently  as  is 
consistent  with  the  expense  and  value  of  the  fowls. 

Take  care  to  keep  the  young  pullets  away  from  the  diseased  stock 
or  from  land  recently  occupied  by  the  latter. 


TUBERCULOSIS  IN  FOWLS.  13 


CALIFORNIA  POULTRY  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 

The  importance  of  the  poultry  industry  in  California  has  occasioned 
a  demand  for  the  investigation  of  the  problems  of  poultry  management. 
In  response,  the  Legislature  of  1903  appropriated  five  thousand  dollars 
($5,000)  to  be  expended  by  the  Regents  of  the  University  of  California 
for  this  purpose,  in  the  manner  indicated  in  the  following  quotations 
from  the  Act : 

Section  1.  There  is  hereby  established  in  the  county  of  Sonoma,  at  or  near 
the  city  of  Petaluma,  a  poultry  experiment  station,  to  be  known  as  the  California 
Poultry  Experiment  Station. 

Sec.  2.  The  purpose  of  said  station  shall  be  the  study  of  the  diseases  of  poultry 
to  ascertain  the  causes  of  such  diseases,  and  to  recommend  treatment  for  the  pre- 
vention and  cure  of  the  same ;  to  ascertain  the  relative  value  of  the  poultry  foods 
for  the  production  of  flesh,  fat,  eggs,  and  feathers  ;  to  recommend  methods  of  sani- 
tation, and  to  conduct  investigations  for  the  purpose  of  securing  results  conducive 
to  the  promotion  of  the  poultry  interests  of  the  State.  This  Act  shall  be  liberally 
construed  to  the  end  that  the  station  hereby  established  may  at  all  times  contribute 
to  the  technical  and  general  knowledge  of  the  public  upon  the  subject  of  poultry 
husbandry. 

Sec.  3.  The  said  station  shall  be  under  the  supervision  of  the  Director  of  the 
Agricultural  Experiment  Stations  of  the  State  of  California,  who  shall,  from  time 
to  time,  cause  to  be  issued  bulletins  of  information  regarding  the  care  of  poultry. 

The  experimental  work  on  poultry  is  being  carried  on  by  members 
of  the  regular  staff  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station. 

The  following  publications  on  poultry  topics  are  available  for  dis- 
tribution, and  may  be  had  upon  application  to  the  Director  of  the 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station  at  Berkeley : 

Bulletin  No.  156.    Fowl  Cholera. 

Bulletin  No.  161.     Tuberculosis  in  Fowls. 


REPORTS   AND  BULLETINS  AVAILABLE  FOR  DISTRIBUTION. 


REPORTS. 

1896.  Report   of   the   Viticultural    Work   during   the   seasons    1887-93,    with    data 

regarding  the  Vintages  of  1894-95. 

1897.  Resistant   Vines,   their   Selection,   Adaptation,   and   Grafting.     Appendix  to 

Viticultural  Report  for  1896. 

1898.  Partial  Report  of  Work  of  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for  the  years 

1895-96  and  1896-97. 
1900.     Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for  the  year  1897-98. 
1902.     Report  of  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station  for  1898-1901. 

BULLETINS. 
No.  121.     The  Conservation  of  Soil  Moisture  and  Economy  in  the  Use  of  Irrigation 
125.     Australian   Saltbush.  [Water. 

127.  Bench-Grafting  Resistant  Vines. 

128.  Nature,  Value,  and  Utilization  of  Alkali  Lands. 

129.  Report  of  the  Condition  of  Olive  Culture  in  California. 

131.  The  Phylloxera  of  the  Vine. 

132.  Feeding  of  Farm  Animals. 

133.  Tolerance  of  Alkali  by  Various  Cultures. 

134.  Report  of  Condition  of  Vineyards  in  Portions  of  Santa  Clara  Valley. 

135.  The  Potato- Worm  in  California. 

136.  Erinose  of  the  Vine. 

137.  Pickling  Ripe  and  Green  Olives. 

138.  Citrus  Fruit  Culture. 

139.  Orange  and  Lemon  Rot. 

140.  Lands  of  the  Colorado  Delta  in   Salton  Basin,  and  Supplement. 

141.  Deciduous  Fruits  at  Paso  Robles. 

142.  Grasshoppers  in  California. 

143.  California  Peach-Tree  Borer. 

144.  The  Peach- Worm. 

145.  The  Red  Spider  of  Citrus  Trees. 

146.  New  Methods  of  Grafting  and  Budding  Vines. 

147.  Culture  Work  of  the  Substations. 

148.  Resistant  Vines  and  their   Hybrids. 

149.  California  Sugar  Industry. 

150.  The  Value  of  Oak  Leaves  for  Forage. 

151.  Arsenical  Insecticides. 

152.  Fumigation  Dosage. 

153.  Spraying  with  Distillates. 

154.  Sulfur  Sprays  for  Red  Spider. 

155.  Directions  for  Spraying  for  the  Codling-Moth. 

156.  Fowl  Cholera. 

157.  Commercial  Fertilizers. 

158.  California  Olive  Oil ;  its  Manufacture. 

159.  Contribution  to  the  Study  of  Fermentation. 

160.  The  Hop  Aphis. 

CIRCULARS. 

No.   1.  Texas  Fever.  No.  8.  Laboratory     Method     of     Water 

2.  Blackleg.  Analysis. 

3.  Hog  Cholera.  9.  Asparagus  Rust. 

4.  Anthrax.  10.  Reading     Course     in     Economic 

5.  Contagious  Abortion  in  Cows.  Entomology. 

6.  Methods  of  Physical  and  Chem-  11.  Fumigation  Practice. 

ical  Soil  Analysis.  12.     Silk  Culture. 

7.  Remedies   for    Insects. 

Copies  may  be  had  by  application  to  the  Director  of  the  Experiment 
Station,  Berkeley,  California. 


